IPL 2019: 3 Bowlers who can also open the batting for their team

The Indian Premier League has always been full of twists and turns. Over the years we have seen many surprises in the tournament, and one of the biggest surprises ever was to see Sunil Narine opening the batting and smashing bowlers all over the park.

Another season of the league is just around the corner. So here, we take a look at 3 bowlers who could surprise everyone by opening the batting in the upcoming IPL 2019 season.

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#3 Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar

The teenage sensation from Tamil Nadu, Washington Sundar shot to fame during the U19 World Cup 2016 where he performed extremely well with the ball. The 19-year-old has achieved a lot in his very short cricketing career, whether it is taking Rising Pune Supergiants to the final of IPL 2017 or winning the Man of the Tournament award in Nidahas Trophy.

Sundar is someone who can open the batting as well as bowling. He hasn't got the opportunity to open the batting at any big stage yet but he has done it in Tamil Nadu Premiere League.

While opening the batting in TNPL 2017, Sundar performed exceedingly well as he smashed 459 runs from 9 matches at an excellent strike rate of 154.55, and was also the leading run scorer in the tournament. These impressive numbers show that he has the ability to open the batting.

His bowling numbers are equally good as he took 15 wickets from 9 matches at an unbelievable average of 12.73 and an impressive economy rate of 6.16 in TNPL 2017. He was also the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Sundar surely deserves a chance to open the batting. It will be interesting to see if Royal Challengers Bangalore will try him at top of the order in the upcoming edition of IPL.

#2 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan will be very crucial for SRH in both batting and bowling

The outstanding leg-spinner from Afghanistan, Rashid Khan has been a consistent performer with the ball in IPL since his debut.

The Afghan spinner's bowling exploits are known to everyone but in recent times, he has also evolved as a batsman. He has shown his brilliance with the bat in international cricket and in various T20 leagues all over the world.

So far, Rashid has not got enough opportunities to showcase his batting in the IPL. But last season, he played a crucial cameo against KKR in the second qualifier where he smashed 34 runs off just 10 to help SRH to put up a winning target of 174 on the board.

It will be fascinating to see how SRH utilize Rashid Khan's batting ability in the forthcoming season of IPL. It will be worth watching the 20-year-old with both bat and ball in the tournament.

#1 David Willey

David Willey will want to make the most of his opportunities in IPL 2019 with both bat and ball

The talented left-arm pacer from England, David Willey is one of those players who has the ability to open both the batting and the bowling. He has already shown his brilliance with the bat in England's T20 Blast and also the Big Bash League.

In his T20 career, the 29-year-old has scored a total of 2545 runs from 128 innings at an average of 24.23 and a strike rate of 140.76, with 118 being his highest score. He has also slammed 11 fifties and 2 centuries.

Most of his top knocks have come while batting in the top order.

Willey's wicket-taking ability and potential to score quick runs make him a great T20 player. And that is precisely why Chennai Super Kings have retained him for the upcoming edition of IPL.

Considering Willey's stats as an opener, he is worth a shot at top of the order.